1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to door assemblies, and more specifically, to door assemblies having an egress handle.
2. Background Art
Passenger vehicles often include vehicle doors for ingress and egress of passengers. The vehicle doors are often hinged to the vehicle so that each door may be pivoted open and pivoted closed. The doors often include latch mechanisms to secure the door in a closed position. The latching mechanisms are often temporarily released by manual actuation of a door release lever or button provided on the exterior or interior of the vehicle. For example, the prior art has provided automotive door assemblies having ingress handles provided on the exterior of the vehicle door, which may be utilized for unlatching the latching mechanism and may be utilized as a handle for pivoting the door to an open position.
Another offering of the prior art is to provide an egress handle within the vehicle. Often, the egress handle includes a door release lever that is mounted to an interior door panel and is pivoted about an axis generally parallel with an axis about which the door hinges. Conventionally, the passenger grasps the handle and pivots the handle by pulling the handle towards the passenger while concurrently pushing the door away from the passenger for opening the door. Due to this egress handle arrangement, the passenger is required to exert both a pulling force toward the passenger and a pushing force away from the passenger in order to open the vehicle door.
Door release levers of the prior art are commonly oriented in a central region of the door panel for passenger access. In order to permit the passenger to grasp the handle, the handle either extends from the door panel or is provided within a cavity in the door panel. Conventional door release levers may affect the overall size of the door panel and/or may limit the arrangement and location of other components provided on the door panel.
Another offering of the prior art is to provide an armrest on the door panel for facilitating passenger comfort within the vehicle. Since armrests are generally provided in a location that maximizes passenger comfort, ergonomics may be compromised in the placement of prior art door release levers.
Due to prior art arrangements of armrests and door release levers, door panel appearances may be compromised, by requiring distinct regions for an armrest and a door release lever.
In light of the foregoing, what is needed is a door assembly for a vehicle that satisfies ergonomics, compactness limitations and vehicle interior aesthetics. Further, a simplified method for opening an automotive vehicle door is needed.